Alessandra
Last Ash After the embarrassment to the empire that was the Second Ashes, and the continued unrest of the Pezzack area of the Hellcoast, the standings of interned governor of the Archduchy of the Hellcoast, Paraduke Marcellus Thruvian, was put into ever increasing question with the nobles of house Thrune. Smelling the blood in the water the minor house, House Relias, took action. They waged a two fold campaign to secure their houses ascension off the backs of Marcellus' shortcomings. They did so by subtly organizing various events to further degrade the confidence of Queen Abrogail II in poor Marcellus whilst Noble house Relias invested their own coin and bannermen, led by the eldest daughter of house matriarch Lianna Relias, Alessandra Relias, in a ruthless scorched earth campaign that would be come to be known as the Last Ash. House Relias began its campaign by eradicating all the known local strix living in the area, torching their home forests to the ground leaving any possible survivors with no home to return to. Soon after similar harsh tactics were employed against the city of Pezzack itself. Having been contested for so long the notoriously ruthless Queen Abrogail II was easily swane towards the ideal that a third and ultimately decisively heavy handed offensive was needed to quell this embarrassing rebellion once and for all and make a clear example to the empire what happens to dissenters. A dissenting city was a detriment to the empire, more of a detriment than the loss of the city all together would be. Queen Abrogail II advisors, including the infamous pit fiend courtier General Gorthoklek, were noted as cautioning against the brash action but Abrogail's famously slim patients was thoroughly worn thin at this point and the sacking of Pezzack was authorized by royal edict. The surprise attack took place on Loyalty Day as an attempt at adding poetic justice to the ensuing bloodbath. The rebels had historically held the city firm versus two hellknight incursions, but they never expected the empire to go as far as it did. The city was surrounded on the mainland and blockaded at sea. The ships at sea were laiden with long ranged cannons purchased from Nex, the latest siege-tech to make it out of Alkenstar. Loaded with explosive rounds the city was shelled for three days and nights straight. The onslaught paused for periodic and unpredictable breaks before reigning their unrelenting barrages down upon residential and strategic targets alike. The fire coming down randomly at all hours of the day and night. All who attempted to flee the bombardment, men, women, children, civilian, noble, or soldier alike were all cut down upon attempting to pass the siege line. Once the artillery had depleted their ammo reserves, Alessandra led the army of men and friends into the streets to eliminate the remaining living creature with in the now crumbling city walls with extreme prejudice. At high, but acceptably expendable cost, the rebellion was ended. For their initiative and success, and for the first time since the Battle of One Hundred Kings in 4693 AR, the Archduchy of the Hellcoast was given a proper Archduke, Her Infernal Excellence Archduchess Alessandra Relias. House Relias House Relias has existed since before Cheliax claimed it independance, boasting often of the fact that it was of the original houses to support their defection from Taldor, and again one of the first houses to join House Thrune in its infernal pacts. There are rumors that House Relias had worshipped Aroden before his apparent fall and in desperation at the loss of their powers had eventually turned towards darker magics. However, no such histories or any extensive mention of House Relias at all before the events of 4081 AR are recorded in the approved Chelish histories. The Hellcoast has for centuries been the ancestral home of House Relias. They served as a previously minor house and over the centuries the bannermen of the various greater Houses of Taldor and Cheliax in the region. They were known nominally for being excellent sailors and participated in no small part in the 4137 AR naval Chelish expansion campaigns, including the blockading and destruction of the Absalom navy. Though the Chelish navy failed to successfully take the city of Absalom the eradication of their navy placed Cheliax firmly as the strongest naval power in the inner sea region and likely golarion as a whole. This and the following successful colonization of Garund marked the campaign season as an overall great success for the empire, and all houses involved were given commendations and their efforts recorded in the royally approved historical chronicles. House Relias has always claimed a tradition of honor and placed duty to its empire above the ambitions of its House. This sentiment was not shared by the ever cruel and ambitious Lianna Relias, who became the matron of the house in 4579 AR after her husband Caius Relias died at sea. Lianna was born a member of an even small house, House Forren. The Forren were fishermen who had little political influence but had ownership of a fairly significant swath of coastal land. Caius had eyes on expanding his control of the territory and was able to acquire the Forren land in a house merger via marrying the Forren second daughter Lianna. This was a questionable deal however as Lianna was not human, she was in fact tiefling. A fact that was reflected not just in her appearance but in her personality as well. Lianna was cold hearted and her greed was inhumanly veracious. Caius however had kept her in check while he could. The two had a son, Marcus Relias, but the boy was born with infernal mutations similar to his mother's. Both mother and father resented the boys affliction. One would have assumed that at least Lianna would have had compassion for her own child born into a similar life as hers, but she showed the child no such compassion as the kid held no political value to either of the pair. They raised him out if duty but otherwise were noted as treating him quite poorly. It was little wonder why he ran off to join the Order of The Rack when he came of age. After Caius met a watery grave due to stormy conditions while he was out at sea, Lianna took over as leader of the House. Her reign was one of secrecies and paranoia. She was said to have spies planted in the courts of her neighboring houses and constantly thought of ways to conspire against all the houses former allies. Lianna unchecked by the wise and honorable Caius proved to be as cruel and vicious as her infernal heritage would suggest. In 4689 AR Lianna remarried to Caius's great nephew Agustus Relias II. In 4691 AR she gave birth again this time to a set of twin humans, a boy and a girl, who were named Alessandra and Alexander. In 4708 AR Lianna began orchestrating the plan to usurp Paraduke Marcellus Thruvian for the Dukedom of the Hellcoast. Knowing the Queen nor the residents of the Hellcoast would ever accept a tiefling leader she used the most charismatic of her two human children, Alessandra, as the figurehead of her initiative. Archduchess Alessandra Relias Alessandra was groomed for the aristocratic life since she was a child. As a child she was coached on etiquette, basic academics, and history. When she was twelve years of age she was sent off to attend a binders college in Westcrown. There she took to the study of the arcane like a moth to flame. She excelled at wizardry, particularly the school of conjuration. She graduated with high marks and the official licensed designation of devil binder in 4707AR. With her schooling over she returned home to the Hellcoast only to swept up immediately into her mother grand plot. She was hesitant, but did her duty to her House, believing that to be the only right thing to do, especially considering her new role as head of the family. She lead the offensive and did as she was told, but no amount of academic study of military tactics prepares one for the horrors of a bloodbath like the sacking of Pezzack was. In the accounts she was painted as a ruthless iron fisted instrument of law and justice, but in reality she was only able to give the orders to invade the city and spent the entire battle walking the streets in stunned shock as she bared witness to the destruction her house had wrought. The common folk branded her with the title of "the Butcher of Pezzack", a title she knows she deserves but adamantly resents. The scenes she saw that day still haunts her nightmares. Incidentally it was not a year past her coronation of Archduchess of the Hellcoast that the new colony of Abrogail in the risen lands of Nibiru reported incidents and attracted the attention of Hellknights who in turn requisition the Hellcoast fleets to ferry them to the nearby colony. Convinced of its potential importance to the empire and the secrets this land may hold, Alessandra ventured across the sea to the risen land along side the Hellknights ships with a galleon and a contingent of Chelish soldiers, leaving her mother in charge as newly appointed Paraduchess and acting regent of the Hellcoast. Appearance Alessandra is a short slender young woman, a human of taldane decent. She had bright blue eyes, fair skin, and curly blond hair. She often dresses in suits of typical chelish noble fashions, that being predominantly black with accents of white or red. Though she holds fashion in high enough regard she doesn't often choose to dress in the large elaborate dresses noble ladies often do, preferring instead as mentioned suits, often ones of a military or naval stylings. This is tradition in her house, the Relias nobility prizing the ability to move about a battlefield or more often a ship at sale with effective ease. In battle Alessandra holds a flag high waving the crimson and black banner of Cheliax, often opting to stand in the rear to yell out tactical orders to her allies whilst sending waves of summoned creatures ahead to fight for her. Personality Alessandra posses a stern and reserved demeanor. She believes heavily in the rule of law and the need for order for a civilization to prosper. She values the sentiment of honor and duty to ones house, kingdom, and gods. Relationships She of course has good standings with her own house, and seeks to maintain a positive image among the other nobles of Cheliax and in the eyes of Queen Abrogail II. Aspirations Alessandra aspires to see her Duchy’s influence expanded to the new continent, and should the land hold value she would wish to see Cheliax lay claim to it to expand their glorious empire. Theme